New South Wales veteran Kurtis Patterson has further pressed his case for a long-awaited national recall with a stylish century during the Blues’ One-Day Cup win against reigning champions South Australia in Sydney.
Tasked with chasing a 243-run target for victory on Tuesday afternoon, NSW got the job done with 36 balls to spare courtesy of Patterson’s unbeaten 104 from 110 balls, which featured eight boundaries and a six. It was his fourth hundreds of the summer across formats.
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The 32-year-old, leading his state in the absence of captain Jack Edwards, reached the milestone in 107 deliveries after combining with wicketkeeper Matthew Gilkes for a 113-run partnership for the third wicket.
He knocked off the remainder of the deficit alongside young gun Lachlan Shaw, who notched an unbeaten 33 from 26 balls.
The seven-wicket victory lifts NSW to second on the One-Day Cup standings, boosting their chances of qualifying for next month’s final.
Earlier, South Australia posted 7-242 headlined by fifties for wicketkeeper Alex Carey and former Blues representative Jason Sangha. Seamer Charlie Stobo was the pick of the NSW bowlers with figures of 3-36, while quick Liam Hatcher only conceded 24 runs from his ten overs.
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Patterson is currently the One-Day Cup leading run-scorer with 388 runs at 77.60, including a century during the Blues’ season opener against Tasmania in September.
Last week, the left-hander struck a career-best 173 not out during a rain-affected draw against South Australia at the SCG, his 100th Sheffield Shield appearance.
He’s also the third-leading run-scorer of this summer’s Sheffield Shield with 485 runs at 40.41, sitting behind Victoria’s Peter Handscomb and Western Australia’s Cameron Bancroft.
Patterson’s surge in form comes as Marnus Labuschagne faces mounting pressure to keep his spot at No. 3 in the Test side. The Queenslander hasn’t scored a century in 40 consecutive innings in the game’s longest format, averaging 28.77 during the recent Ashes campaign against England.
Patterson made two Test appearances against Sri Lanka in 2019, cracking a century at Canberra’s Manuka Oval before he was dropped to accommodate Steve Smith’s return from the ball-tampering ban. He currently averages 144.00 in Tests, an all-time record.
Reflecting on his milestone of 100 Sheffield Shield matches for NSW last week, Patterson told reporters: “As a cricketer, you’re always tormented, you always wish there were a few less Shield games and a few more Tests in there.
“My motivations for playing are different than what they were (but) obviously the goal of getting back to playing Test cricket is still absolutely there.
“If that opportunity were to come, I’d grab it with both hands.”
The Blues will next face Tasmania for a Sheffield Shield match at Hobart’s Bellerive Oval, commencing on Monday.
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